The Prince
by Sayomina
Summary: What happens when a half fae nursemaid in the League of Assassins wishes away the new born heir of the League and Prince of Gotham to protect him from becoming a weapon like Talia wants? Well, the prince might just get another title or two added to the list.
1. A New Family

The nursemaid stared in shook as Lady Talia killed her sister without a second thought. The blood of her sister and fellow nursemaid contaminated the water, turning it red, with hints of purple that only she could see. Her sister and she were half fae that had somehow been roped into the league of assassins and became nursemaids for the baby Talia had just removed from his incubator.

Talia placed her son in the water, "His name shall be Damian Al Ghul."

The nursemaid stood there frozen. She wanted to stop Talia but she couldn't or she would be killed as well. But Talia had just put a newborn in water mixed with fae blood. The boy would forever have a little bit of fae in him. And Talia would never realize. The nursemaid knew Talia wouldn't be a good mother. The boy deserved to be cherished. There was a place where he could be loved but the poor nursemaid knew the rules and currently didn't have the power to do such a thing.

Then Talia took baby Damian out of the water and handed him to the surprised nursemaid, "Well? Clean and feed him," Talia held her head high as she walked out.

The nursemaid clutched the baby to her chest and quickly took him to her room. Luckily no one asked any questions. She cleaned him before wrapping him in a blanket, "Oh you poor thing. I can't let you live here. I will send you somewhere better," She promised him, setting him on what passed as her bed; "I wish the goblin king would take you away! Right now!" She was begging, just wanting to get the boy as far away from this place as she could.

A storm came from nowhere and before she knew it the Goblin king was standing by the window, "You aren't going to run the labyrinth for him, are you?" He asked, picking up the baby. He had already noticed the nursemaid was half fae, which likely meant she knew about him, the gobbling kingdom, and his lanyrinth.

The nursemaid bowed, "Your majesty. No, I'm not running to get the baby back," She could only look at the floor.

Jareth inspected the baby boy. The boy's bright blue eyes fascinated him, and his raven black hair. Jareth also noticed that the boy had recently been tainted with fae blood, "What is his name?"

"Damian Al Ghul," The nursemaid answered.

"Demon Tamer. A rather fitting name. I see no need to change it. I will make him my heir and prince," Jareth proclaimed, "But you know the rules. I must give you something if you aren't running."

The nursemaid looked up, "I only want to know that the boy is happy and cared for by a loving family. Not growing up in this wretched place," She knew that Jareth wouldn't be turning the boy into a goblin from what he said.

Jareth looked into her heart, "You're sister was killed and you just want to be with her again," He spoke calmly.

The nursemaid looked down at the ground again and nodded. She knew there were only a few ways that that was possible.

"Then you will be with her again," Jareth said.

* * *

Talia was searching for that stupid nursemaid who was supposed to have her son after the nursemaid hadn't shown up with Damian on time. She stormed into the nursemaid's room but stopped when she saw the nursemaid laying on the floor, dead, eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her lips. Damian was nowhere in the room. Something had taken him and killed the nursemaid. It was even possible that the nurse maid had been in on it and had been killed or killed herself so she couldn't reveal Damian's location.

The search for Damian lasted months, but he was never found. No one, absolutely no one in the world knew where Damian was. And although Talia hadn't asked Bruce but she had checked in at the manor through her own means just to make sure.

Talia finally gave up and decided to just start over, but after a storm one night all her work was gone. No ways of cloning him or doing anything else like that. She had had her child stolen from her and had no way of replacing him. That was her punishment for what she would've put Damian through.

* * *

Jareth appeared in his throne room, holding the baby, Damian, close in one arm. He waved his hand and a crib appeared next to his throne made out of rubies with black, silky blankets. Jareth felt that it was fitting for the boy, even if it didn't fit the aesthetic of his castle. Jareth set the boy in the crib. He caressed the baby's cheek and bright blue eyes stared up at him curiously. Jareth knew there was no waiting 13 hours for any reason with the boy, "I name you, Prince Damian Al Ghul of the goblin kingdom and claim you as mine."

Glitter settled down on Damian and the baby sneezed when some landed on his nose. His ears pointed a little, and his hair became a bit blacker. Some of his baby fat vanished and his facial structure shifted to be a bit more slender. To top it off his skin now had a slight permanent sparkle. Nothing like Twilight vampires though. Damian was now a fae like Jareth. His fae features would be more noticeable in later years.

Jareth picked Damian back up, "Goblins!" He called. There was a skittering and murmuring as goblins filled the throne room curiously, "We have a new addition to the family to celebrate!"

The night was filled with dancing and singing that lasted hours upon hours. Somehow little Damian fell asleep.

* * *

After the Labyrinth Sarah had tried to live a normal life, well at least as normal as life could get. But she had never stopped believing. She wrote a book about her adventure that became a movie. She had gotten older and came to understand the goblin king. She could've called him, gone back to him, but she didn't. She never got married. No human could be equal to the goblin king. She was content with living a single life. Life wasn't supposed to be fair after all, so if she didn't end up with the goblin king that was okay.

But she changed her mind after one Christmas Eve was ill spent with her family. Her mother had berated her about needing to get a real job that wasn't writing and get married. There were other comments about stuff like kids and college but Sarah didn't listen to any of those. She ended up storming out of the house.

She threw her hands up into the air, "I wish the goblin king would take me away, right now!" She shouted. Below would be better than here. She didn't care what she had just asked could lead to. She just wanted away from Above.

Jareth didn't show up like last time. Instead goblins whisked her away to his castle. She wasn't surprised to see Jareth, lounging on his throne with a bundle in his arms that was clearly a baby. He probably just had a sibling that belonged to a runner that was going through the labyrinth right at this moment. The crib did make her curious though. The crib was really fancy.

"Sarah, you finally called," Jareth said, standing up and readjusting how he was holding the baby. He had been surprised to hear Sarah's wish and had immediately sent goblins to fetch her.

"Another poor boy or girl trapped in the labyrinth trying to rescue their sibling? Is that why you sent your goblins to fetch me instead of coming yourself?" Sarah asked, crossing her arms, slightly upset. It seemed he hadn't changed one bit. She had really been hoping Jareth had changed.

"Actually no. This is Prince Damian. He was being fussy and I was trying to get him to sleep, which he finally did within the time it took you to say you're wish. It has been a very long month trying to figure out how to actually take care of a baby. Goblins are easier and 13 hours at a time doesn't count," Jareth stated.

"Prince?" Sarah was confused. When did Jareth have a son? It had probably been with some girl he had trapped after Sarah had returned with Toby to Above. This meant she wasn't as special as he had made it seem all those years ago when she had ran the labyrinth. Sarah shouldn't have cared if he had had an affair with some other girl but for some reason it did, and the idea made her slightly upset.

"Yes. He was wished away by a half fae who wanted him to grow up happy and away from his mother, who I've been watching and she is an evil woman. It is good the dear half fae thought to send little Damian away. I took a liking to him and made him my heir. I mean, it didn't look like you were coming back ever and I would have no other as my queen. I needed an heir and Damian is in my opinion perfect," Jareth winced slightly when Damian woke up crying. It always took him forever to figure out why Damian was crying no matter the situation

Sarah snatched Damian from Jareth and bounced the baby, hushing him and soothing him until he fell back asleep, nuzzled close to Sarah's chest. The poor boy must've had a nightmare, "You really have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Sarah sighed and looked at Jareth. She was glad that Jareth had changed. Jareth had after all taken a wished away child and taken him in as his own. And then Jareth had proceeded to try and raise the child on his own. Even if it had failed to an extent, it meant Jareth wasn't as cold hearted or cruel as he came off as sometimes. He had a heart.

"No, I don't," Jareth admitted. He was slightly upset that Sarah had just taken Damian from him, but it was kind of a pouting upset, not a rage upset. He was Damian's father. He had taken on the responsibility to take care of Damian. He should be the one getting Damian back to sleep, not Sarah. It wasn't her responsibility. Even if she was his equal, she hadn't chosen to be his queen, probably never would. That meant the responsibility of taking care of Damian didn't extend to her.

Sarah nodded and smiled softly at Damian. He looked so cute asleep, with his little pointy ears and skin that sparkled slightly when the light hit it right, "I guess I will have to stay here then," She hummed. Jareth couldn't take care of Damian alone, even if he did technically have the goblins to help.

"Sarah…" Jareth started. He knew what he wanted. He wanted to be with Sarah, and provide Damian a full and proper family.

Sarah looked up to meet Jareth's eyes with a curious look. She wondered what he was going to say.

" _Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave_." Jareth said words he had said before but now they held a different meaning for Sarah. They were a promise, a vow, a proposal.

"Yes… I will," As soon as the words left her mouth his lips were pressed against her's. Glittery magic swirled around them, binding them together for eternity.

The goblin king and the goblin queen with their little prince held close. An odd little mismatched family. Nonetheless they were family.


	2. Running the Labyrinth

Damian's sword: (h)(t)(t)(p)(:/)(/)www. trueswords(.com) /images/ prod/ a46-bk2498 (.jpg)

Damian's mask: (h)(t)(t)(p)(s)(:/)(/)images-na. ssl- images-amazon(.com)/ images/I/ 81wtfTmY0KL._SX355_.jpg

 **Remove spaces and parentheses**

* * *

Damian shifted from anticipation as he tried to pay attention and listen to his mother teach him more about the power of words, not that he didn't already know how to be careful about what he said and that if someone said something with enough belief it would come true. Just a little longer before his parents let him go out to the labyrinth and either help or hinder the current runner. He was having a very hard time being patient.

Damian had lived Below in the goblin kingdom his entire life with his mother, Queen Sarah, and his father, King Jareth. His mother would teach him about the Above, the history of the Below, the rules, the old ways, and anything else that required reading. Damian really enjoyed reading but sometimes lectures got boring. His favorites though were when Sarah told him stories about the Above. He always got this sparkle of fascination and curiousness in his eyes.

His father and Sir Didymus had taught him how to sword fight, though they all found he was a bit of a natural. He was even allowed to pick a proper sword of his own after they deemed him trained enough. He had chosen one that looked like what the mortals called a katana. His father also taught him magic, mostly mirror magic, though Damian was able to figure out how to teleport short distances. Damian had never managed to transform into an animal though like how Jareth could transform into an owl. Ludo had also taught him how to talk to rocks. Having conversations with rocks could be interesting and rocks were great for messing with people in the Labyrinth.

But out of all the things he learned and did, his favorite thing was always running the Labyrinth. When he was really young Jareth would take him on walks through parts of the Labyrinth. As he got older he was allowed to explore the Labyrinth on his own, though Jareth usually watched him from a distance just in case he got lost, though he never did. When he was 8 he had snuck out of the castle and ran the Labyrinth from the beginning without anyone realizing he had gone until he'd gotten back. It only took him four hours and that was without taking the shortcut. Jareth was upset when he found this out but when he was informed his son had done exceptionally well and was naturally talented at acrobatics, he was proud of Damian, though still upset Damian had run the Labyrinth without telling anyone first. Jareth felt better after tossing a goblin, which had tried to hinder Damian's progress, into the bog. After that Damian was allowed to help or hinder runners, as long as he completed his daily lessons first.

Today was one of those days that someone was running the Labyrinth. Damian couldn't wait to see whether or not this Above person deserved to be helped or hindered. Damian helped those that were kind and asked the right questions. He hindered those who were rude.

Sarah smiled, seeing the anticipation in her son's sparkling bright blue eyes, "Damian, what is the most important thing you must always remember?" She asked, knowing exactly what he wanted to do.

"Words have power so watch what you and others say, and you can't force someone to say I wish but you can trick them into saying it," Damian answered quickly and flawlessly. He was great at memorizing everything.

"Good. Go have fun," Sarah laughed as she watched Damian run off to change. Sarah got up and walked to the throne room where Jareth was watching over the current runner through a crystal ball.

Damian had a specific outfit he wore when he went out to the Labyrinth while someone was running. He pulled on a pair of white pants, identical to what his father always wore and a matching, again identical to what his father usually wore, white shirt. He strapped his sword around his waist before tugging on his white knee high boots. As he ran out of his room to go to the Labyrinth he grabbed a white masquerade mask and placed it on his face.

This runner was different from other runners. They hadn't wished for anything. There was no baby they were running for. They were running to get out of the Labyrinth.

Dick Grayson had been unceremoniously digging through a junkyard looking for stuff to make a present for Babs. Barbara was into the whole green thing after all. The next thing he knew however a short old lady with a really big nose and lots of what looked like warts, was trying to shove stuffed animals and his old circus uniform into his arms. He had been very creeped out and had kindly declined and quickly gotten out of the junkyard only to find himself in a maze. He had been wandering around the maze when a guy appeared that looked a little like David Bowie in that one old movie except more sparkly and magical. The guy had told him he had 13 hours to make it to the castle and he would be returned home. Fail and he would be trapped in the Labyrinth forever.

Dick sighed as he wandered around the Labyrinth, lost. He had met a few critters and had had a lovely chat with a pair of doors. He'd been polite and nice the entire time, like his parents had taught him. Even in this strange place it was important to be kind and polite. He wanted to go home though. Bruce and Timmy were probably very worried that he was missing.

Damian followed the runner with a curious glint in his eyes. He went unnoticed by the runner. He was judging the character of this runner to see if he should help them or hinder their progress. This runner seemed nice, so he decided to help.

Dick looked up to see a guy, maybe a kid by their height, all dressed in white and wearing a mask, standing on one of the walls and leaning against a tree, "Excuse me," He spoke up, "Can you help me?"

"That depends on what you're asking for," Damian said.

Dick remembered one of the creatures he had met had said he needed to ask the right questions, "Right, can you help me get to the castle as quick as possible please," He asked politely.

"Yes I can," Damian jumped down from the wall and started walking away, "Follow me."

Dick quickly followed the boy, "I'm Dick. What's your name?" He asked as they walked.

"The white prince," Damian said. He chose the title he used while in this outfit. He wasn't going to say his real name. That would be giving Dick power.

"I'm going to call you Prince," Dick said with a smile, "So… are you stuck in this labyrinth? If so for how long?" He had a lot of questions for this prince.

"I've lived in the Below my entire life and I'm free to go anywhere in the goblin kingdom," Damian stated, taking a turn.

"The below, huh? Well it's certainly a lot different than Gotham," Dick looked around, carefully following Prince.

Damian got curious, "What is this Gotham you speak of? Is it a place in the Above?"

"Gotham is the city I live in. I guess, if this is Below than Gotham is part of Above," Dick said thoughtfully.

"Tell me about Gotham," Damian was slightly demanding but he was really curious and wanted to know more about this Gotham that Dick came from.

Dick laughed, "Alright. Well, Gotham is full of bad guys that steal and hurt the innocent. But there's this really good guy named Batman and he fights the bad guys. Batman also takes in children with rough pasts, giving them a family and even training them to be his sidekick Robin. The first Robin was a circus acrobat who's parents died. That Robin eventually left the Robin mantle and became Nightwing. The second Robin was a kid who's dad was in prison and mom had died. He was killed by one of the bad guys though. The third Robin, the current one, figured out Batman and the Robins' real identities. When he realized Batman needed a Robin he stepped into the mantle. Eventually his parents died though."

Dick continued to tell Damian all these stories about Batman and Robin, and the other heroes that fought crime. Damian listened with amazement. He wanted to see Gotham in the Above!

Eventually they reached the outskirts of the goblin city and Damian stopped.

"I cannot go any further with you," Damian said, "Just go through the goblin city and you'll reach the castle."

Dick was sad his new friend couldn't come with him. He hugged Damian, "Stay safe Prince. I hope I can see you again someday," Dick let go and waved before going into the city.

Dick walked through the goblin city to the castle without any trouble from the goblins. Once at the castle he somehow ended up in the throne room.

There were three thrones. On the first sat the David Bowie guy. The second held a beautiful woman that looked like Sarah from that same movie. On the third, Prince was sitting with a relaxed smile. Except he wasn't wearing his mask anymore and Dick could clearly see his bright blue eyes. It was then that Dick realized how much the kid looked like a mini version of Bruce.

Jareth frowned slightly, sensing Dick's thoughts. He stood up, "You made it through my labyrinth and now I will return you to your home Above."

Dick bowed and before it he was whisked away. Dick found himself back in his room at the manor. Maybe it had just been a dream.

Jareth sat back down. Sarah noticed something seemed slightly off about him.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, concerned.

"I think it's time we tell Damian," Jareth answered. Sarah nodded.

"Tell me what?" Damian was confused. His previous disappointment of Dick leaving was replaced by a new curiousness.

Jareth waved his hand and a mirror appeared, "When you were born Damian a half fae wished you away from your mother so you could have a family," A moving image of Talia appeared in the mirror. Moments after it appeared it disappeared when she killed someone, "Instead of turning you into a goblin however, I made you a fae, and claimed you as my own son," Jareth explained.

"What about my birth father?" Damian asked.

"I was not aware you even had a birth father due to the methods Talia used to create you until recently," An image of Bruce Wayne appeared in the mirror, "That is your birth father Damian. His name is Bruce Wayne. He doesn't know you even exist," Jareth answered.

"Damian, we understand if you would rather be with one of them then us. But we will always be here for you," Sarah spoke up.

Damian thought for a moment about what he was going to choose. His birth mother didn't seem very nice. He didn't want to meet her. But he was curious about his birth father. Damian nodded when he had made up his mind.

"I don't want another family. I love it here and you are my parents," Damian started, "But I want to meet my birth father and learn more about the Above," Damian's eyes sparkled with the same curiousness and fascination they always held when Sarah talked about Above.

Jareth nodded, "If that's what you want Damian. You are connected enough to Above that you can go without being summoned. I will be checking in on you though in my owl form from time to time while you are staying there," He said, being protective as ever.

"I will take you up there to meet your father. And you can always use the mirrors to contact us or come home early if you want to," Sarah added, glad that Jareth wasn't shooting the idea down.

Damian smiled brightly, "Thank you father," He hugged Jareth, "Thank you mother," He hugged Sarah.

Sarah hugged Damian back, "I love you my baby," She kissed the top of his head. As much as she wanted to protect Damian and keep him Below, just like Jareth probably did, she knew that Damian needed to spread his wings and go on his own adventures.


	3. Meeting Bruce

**I am aware that in the last chapter Damian used father and mother for Jareth and Sarah, but I am not making that a frequent thing. Jareth and Sarah will be mostly dad and mom. Bruce and Talia will always be father and mother**

 **So I've decided to start responding to reviews. It will be by chapter so if you review on the most recent chapter of a story I will respond to it in the next chapter. I do take requests, on all my stories, so if there's something you'd like to see just let me know.**

 **Okami Princess: Thanks for the review! It's great to hear what you think about how things may affect Bruce's thoughts on the situation. It will likely turn out very similar to what you think, though likely not as clear cut.**

* * *

Damian woke up to his curtains being pushed aside to let in some light. He bolted upright to see his mother over by the window and a grin spread across his face.

Sarah looked over at him and laughed, "I think someone remembered what day it was today," She said as she set some clothes at the foot of Damian's bed, "Get dressed into those and then come join your father and I for breakfast," She then left him to get changed.

Damian had noticed she was wearing her above clothes. A pair of blue pants made out of an odd materiel and a white blouse. Damian got up and looked at the clothes. He grimaced when he saw the pants were exactly like what his mother was wearing. He reluctantly put the pants on, hating the itchy materiel. Then he put on the white button up blouse shirt, whatever it was called. The sleeves were a little long but he didn't mind. After putting on socks and his black knee high boots he walked to the dining room, trying not to walk awkwardly.

Once at the dining hall he wiggled into his seat next to his father. He shifted as he ate his breakfast.

Jared noticed this and looked at what he was wearing then looked at Sarah, "Must he wear that?" He asked Sarah.

"I want him to look presentable and any clothing choice influenced by you is scandalous and may give people the wrong idea. Anyways we're trying to make him look human. You did say that it would be better if we made Bruce think Damian was raised Above and don't tell him anything about here," Sarah pointed out as she finished her breakfast.

"Good point. What about dress pants instead?" Jareth snapped his fingers and the type of pants Damian was wearing changed magically.

"Thank you dad," Damian spoke up when there wasn't any food in his mouth. This black materiel wasn't uncomfortable like the blue materiel.

Sarah sighed and smiled at her family, "I suppose those will do," She stood up, "Damian, finish breakfast then pack. We'll leave as soon as you're ready," Sarah walked off to get ready.

"Yes mom!" Damian said, scarfing down the rest of his breakfast before running off to his room.

Damian packed a few things in a bag Sarah had given him that was from the above. He put his White Prince outfit in it as well as his drawing pad and a handful of pencils. He grabbed his sword and contemplated strapping it around his waist like he always did then decided against it and put his sword in his bag. With everything he wanted to bring with him he headed to the throne room, ready to go.

Sarah and Jareth were waiting for him, with a mirror already set up. Sarah had a bag of her own with her. She had decided to visit Toby while she was Above. Jareth was going to be really lonely and he knew it.

"Are you ready to go Damian?" Sarah asked when Damian joined them.

"Yes mom," Damian replied, his bag hanging from one of his shoulders.

"You're sure you'll be safe?" Jareth asked. He still wasn't entirely sure with this even though he had technically agreed to let them go.

"Yes. I'm sure. I know you have your worries about Gotham but I doubt Damian will even be going to the city. And Wayne manor is far enough away that he won't be in any danger," Sarah said.

Damian's eyes lit up. He was going to Gotham? He got excited. Maybe he'd get to meet Batman and Nightwing and Robin. The stories Dick had told him played through his mind.

Jareth sighed, "Fine," He went over to Damian and hugged his son, "Remember the rules?"

"Of course I remember the rules. Power of words and don't let anyone know I'm fae," Damian stated hugging his father back.

Jareth let go, "Good. Then let's go," Jareth turned into a barn owl and settled down on Sarah's shoulder.

Sarah took Damian's hand and smiled as they walked through the mirror and out the one Jareth had placed near Wayne manor the night before.

Despite currently being an owl Jareth had a perturbed look as the group approached the manor. He didn't want to leave his son with complete strangers.

Once at the front door Sarah turned to Damian and fussed with his hair to make sure it was covering his ears, "Remember your manners," She told Damian before knocking. She placed her hands on Damian's shoulders and made him stand in front of her.

After a moment an old man in a nice suit opened the door, "Ah, you must be Sarah. I am Alfred Pennyworth, Master Bruce's butler. We spoke over the phone. It is a pleasure to meet you ma'am," Alfred said.

"Thank you Alfred. Is Bruce here? If he's not we can come back later," Sarah said, smiling politely

"He is up in his study. I will let him know you are here. Please, come in," Alfred stepped inside so the group could come in.

Damian held Sarah's hand as they walked inside. He looked around with wide, blue, sparkling eyes. This place was really fancy and had a different feeling than the castle. It was more of a grand palace than a homely castle. The place was very well lit and cast light in all the right ways, making Damian's skin glitter slightly. Sarah noticed this and hoped that it didn't raise any questions.

Alfred went upstairs and after a few minutes a different man wearing dress pants and a black button up came downstairs and over to the group, "Alfred said I had guests. I'm Bruce Wayne, who might you be?" Bruce extended his hand.

Sarah shook his hand, "I'm Sarah Williams. And this is my adopted son, Damian Al Ghul," She placed her hands on Damian's shoulders, "My sister worked for Talia Al Ghul and to protect Damian from whatever the League of Assassins and Talia wanted to do to him she gave him to me to raise. I've been raising him here in America somewhere we couldn't be found, but I thought it was time he met his father," Sarah gave the story she had made up that held a little validity but also kept anything about Below a secret.

Damian stepped forward when Sarah gave him a little nudge, "Hello father. I imagined you taller," Damian said. He had a point. The image in the mirror had made Bruce out to be at least a couple feet taller.

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "You are positive he is mine and Talia's son?" He asked skeptical. Yes, he had had a night filled with Passion with Talia, but he didn't think Talia would possibly conceive a child. She was the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul and a leader of the League of Assassins. She did a lot of various business things as well. There was no way she would stand for being pregnant for nine months. That was just uncharacteristic of Talia.

"Yes, I'm positive from the Intel my sister gave me before I disappeared with Damian and she was killed. Though you are more than welcome to run a DNA test," Sarah stayed polite, despite her son's rather blunt remark and how she wanted to scold him.

Jareth's feathers fluffed up and he had a ticked off look. How dare this mere mortal question his queen's word about Damian being related to this man through blood. Jareth did refuse to acknowledge that Damian was technically Bruce's son. Jareth and Sarah had raised Damian and Jareth had laid claim to Damian, therefore he was their son, no this man's until proved otherwise. Jareth would've flown over to Bruce and given him a piece of his mind.

Sarah placed a hand on Jareth firmly to keep him from attacking Bruce, "Sorry about my owl, he gets nervous and defensive around strangers," Sarah said, "Bruce, I know this is a lot to ask right now and on such short notice, but would you be willing to watch Damian for a couple weeks. I'm going on a trip and he can't join me. It would give the two of you a chance to bond as well."

"I would be glad to let Damian stay here while you're away," Bruce still wasn't sure how to feel about Damian or even Sarah and he could swear that owl was glaring at him. He would definitely be doing a DNA test on Damian, "Why don't you let Alfred show you to a room," Bruce pulled a smile, looking at Damian.

"Sure," Damian felt like he was being set aside but whatever. He followed Alfred upstairs to a room. It was a nice room, but nothing like his one at the castle. He felt slightly homesick.

"If you need anything please let me know," Alfred said before leaving. He had some cleaning to finish.

Damian set his bag on his bed. He had no reason to unpack yet. It wasn't like he had much. He decided to explore a little. He memorized the layout of his room first in case he needed to make a quick get away for any reason. He could only teleport places that were nearby and that he could imagine in his mind, though from his time playing in the Labyrinth he had learned even the tiniest of details could make a huge difference.

Damian slipped out of his room and looked at the hall around him. There were six doors in total. The one he'd just come out of and two down the hall to his right. Then there was a door across from each of the one's on his side. The hall went down on his left, probably leading to other rooms and such but that would be later. The rooms closest to his made him curious.

He crossed the hall and tried the first door. It was open but the room was empty. It had likely never had any occupants. But it was also clean which likely meant a cleaner kept it nice in case of guests. Though je hadn't seen any goblins or the human equivalent going around cleaning everything yet.

He tried the next door and opened it slowly. The room was spotlessly clean with a strange, silver box on the desk. Someone lived in this room, a neat freak possibly. Or someone who wasn't coming back for awhile. The box made him curious but he wouldn't touch it just in case the owner came back soon. He didn't want to get into trouble on his first day.

He moved along and found the next door locked. Disappointing. He'd find the window to the room later then pop in and check it out. It was a little odd that that specific door was looked unless someone was sleeping inside.

Damian crossed the hall and opened the next door. This room was much bigger than the others. The windows were bigger, the bed was bigger. There was even some really strange equipment on one side of the room. Damian guessed that this was Bruce's room. He quickly slipped out, not wanting to be caught poking his nose into things.

There was one more door. The one in between his room and Bruce's room. Damian found that the door was already opened slightly. The sheets on the bed were crumbled, either having been used recently or the owner never made their bed. Clothes were scattered on the floor making Damian grimace. But wjat fascinated him the most were the posters covering the walls. They were all for this same Halley's Circus place, but the one that stood out the most was one of a man, a woman, and a boy. The flying Graysons…

Damian jumped and popped himself back into his room when he heard someone coming. He poked his head out of his door to see someone go into the room he had just been in. That was a really close call. He released a breath he had been holding then slipped back out of his room. He walked down the halls, looking for an open door that might lead to an interesting room.

He stopped at one door that was cracked open and got curious. He slowly pushed the door open then stepped inside. The room had two walls lined with bookcases. One wall had the door and some shelves and the other had a large desk by it.

Damian approached the desk then tripped over a bump in the rug. He grabbed the desk with one hand to catch himself and the head on the desk with the other. But he still fell and the head popped open revealing a red button. Damian got up and saw the button. He knew he shouldn't push it but he was so curious. Just as he was about to push the button the door opened

"Damian? What are you doing here?" Bruce asked with fake concern. He now suspected the boy of actually working for Talia or some other organization looking to find his bat cave.

"I was exploring father," Damian answered truthfully, "What does this button?" He gestured to the button.

"That… calls the police in case someone breaks in," Bruce lied, leading Damian out of his study. That had been too close of a call. If he'd taken a moment longer Damian would've found the study entrance to the bat cave. That would've taken a lot more explaining than what he was willing for right now.

"oh," Damian wondered what police were. But he kept quiet and let Bruce take him back to his room. He wanted to explore more but he probably wouldn't be allowed to anymore right now so he didn't bother asking.

"Why don't you unpack and then rest until dinner," Bruce suggested as he watched Damian walk into his room. He noticed Damian hadn't unpacked the one small bag he had. He wondered how much the kid actually had.

"Okay," Damian kept his back to Bruce as the man walked away after his answer. He turned around and shut the door before going over to the bed where his bag was. He pulled out his sword and put it under his pillow. Dad would be proud he was keeping it by him for while he was sleeping in case something happened. Then he took out his White Prince outfit and slipped it under the bed where hopefully no one would find it. Finally before putting the bag in the closet he set his drawing pad and array of pencils on his desk.

He looked over at the window when he heard a tapping noise and smiled. He walked over and opened the window, letting Jareth in. Jareth flew in then perched on Damian's shoulder protectively.

Damian stroked Jareth's feathers, wishing his dad didn't have to be in his owl form while Above most of the time. At least he was still able to use mirrors so he could send letters to Jareth and likely even visit if he got really homesick.

"It's going to be a long two weeks isn't it? Bet you would manipulate time and get it over with if mom let you," Damian said.

Jareth simply responded by inching closer along Damian's shoulder like the protective father he could be.


	4. Things are Weird Above

**Writing is hard sometimes…. Must not get distracted and must write fanfiction. Upbeat music apparently helps so if you have any suggestions drop a review. I listen to upbeat stuff like Best day of my life, It's Time, Life is a Highway, Stronger (What doesn't kill you), Everybody Loves Me, and Pompeii.**

 **Okami Princess: Talia IS Talia. Bruce has very valid reasons to be suspicious, especially of Talia even after their last, meeting. But he's going to have more questions when the DNA test comes back with more than just proof Damian is his and Talia's. There have definitely been false alarms with Bruce having legitimate kids, but he's careful, usually.**

 **(Cont.) Jareth is possessive. For one he doesn't want to lose Damian or Sarah like he lost Sarah all those years ago. His emotions are also more extreme than a normal human's. At least the way I'm writing him.**

* * *

Alfred came by a few hours later and led Damian downstairs for dinner. Damian wasn't sure what to expect for dinner above. He hoped there was stuff he recognized. He would be so disappointed if he found that there was absolutely nothing Above that he liked. Damian walked into the dining room, expecting Bruce and all the Above equivalents to Goblins to already be there with the dinner feast. He was only met with disappointment as he surveyed the scene. At one end of the table Bruce was already sitting and eating. On the other end was a plate of food, likely meant for him. The room was so… empty.

"Where is everyone?" Damian asked as he sat down at the seat meant for him and looked at his food. There was a strange white blob, some green tiny circles, and a piece of light brown something. Damian sniffed it. It didn't smell familiar. He scrunched up his nose slightly. What was this stuff? It seemed sketchy. Maybe it was poisoned.

"It's just the two of us. Alfred eats alone," Bruce answered. He took notice of Damian's odd behavior. Either the boy had had foreign food all the time or very little food. At least that was Bruce's theory. If that was correct or not was to be seen. Still, even if either possibilities were true Damian should be fine with the meal. It wasn't like there was enough bizarre food on the entire planet that the kid could've lived on so that he didn't like normal food.

"Oh…" Damian poked at the soft, white blob with his fork. If they were the only people here who had he heard earlier and why were there more than two occupied rooms. Damian had found himself a mystery. Mysteries were fun. There were riddles sometimes. He was good at riddles. Three people and five occupied rooms. Damian took a bite of the white blob. Oh, that was just some kind of potato substance. He'd never had potatoes in a form like this. It was kind of bland, but edible. Next he tried the green orbs. He grimaced, finding that they were not very appealing. Why would anyone eat these little green things? Finally he tried to figure out how to eat the light brown thing. It took him a little bit but after figuring it out he took a bite then immediately regretted it. He spit it out onto his napkin, even then remembering etiquette and manners, "Chicken is evil. Bad bad chicken."

When Damian was six Sarah had managed to get a chicken cooked, though how she had procured a dead chicken was unknown, and had made Damian and Jareth try some. Jareth and Damian had hated it, thinking it was the most disgusting thing ever. Sarah had laughed at them and told them that's how she felt about some of the Below food. Even now they didn't understand how anyone could eat something that gross. People Above were weird.

Bruce watched Damian with amusement. Damian had had no problems with the mashed potatoes but didn't seem to like the peas. But Damian's reaction to the chicken was as funny as it was odd. It was very clear that Damian did not like Chicken one bit. Bruce made a note of that for future reference. Though, Bruce did wonder what had happened that caused Damian to have such an aversion to chicken like that.

Bruce finished shortly afterwards and Alfred came in, clearing away both the plates on que, since Damian didn't want to eat anymore of the food. The chicken was so bad to Damian that it may have very well been poisoned. When Alfred came back he had a strange white box with a red plus sign on it.

"What's that?" Damian asked curiously. He'd never seen anything like it before. Maybe it was magic. He didn't think it was magic though. He would've recognized the symbol from one of the other kingdoms though because it certainly wasn't goblin. Unless Above had magic that they didn't know about. That idea made Damian excited. If the Above had magic and it was a normal thing then maybe Jareth would let Damian stop hiding the fact that he was fae. Damian really hoped that that would happen. He didn't like having to hide who he was. That meant no casually using magic and always making sure his hair covered his pointy ears, though that wasn't too much of a problem since his hair did that naturally. Damian really didn't like being so careful. It was boring and took effort. He sighed slightly and in his mind. He wanted some excitement.

"It's a medicine kit. Alfred is going to take a sample of your blood so we can run some tests. Its complete normal," Bruce said, not wanting to make Damian worried or panic. Where in the world had Sarah raised Damian? Bruce didn't tell Damian what the tests were because he wasn't sure if Damian would understand. It seemed that there were a lot of things that Damian didn't know.

Damian nodded and watched as Alfred pulled out something pointy. Damian wondered what the pointy thing was but he didn't ask. He didn't want anyone to get bad because he asked too many questions. That could cause a lot of problems. The butler rolled up Damian's sleeve and did a little poking before sticking the pointy thing in Damian's arm. Damian just watched. It's not like it had hurt at all. That must've meant that whatever made the pointy thing shiny was not iron or silver. He watched confusedly as the thing the pointy thing was attached to fill up with a red liquid. He guessed that was his blood. He'd never gotten hurt before so he'd never seen his blood. When Alfred was finished the butler took out the pointy thing then put a strange sticky thing on the spot. Damian wondered what the sticky thing was for and poked at it. The sticky thing seemed to have no purpose. Maybe it had a purpose for people Above. Maybe Above people didn't heal like fae did.

Alfred left and Bruce got up, walking over to Damian, "Why don't you go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll check on you later okay? I just have some work things to finish up," Bruce ruffled Damian's black hair. He didn't mean anything pertaining to Wayne Enterprises though. He had to get an analysis running on Damian's blood sample and work on something related to his night job, if you could call being a vigilante as a job.

"Okay," Damian responded before going upstairs and finding his room easily. He was good at finding his way to places he'd been before. Since he'd run the Labyrinth so many times. It helped that he also had a photographic memory. One trip somewhere and he could always find his way back, though it was typically by going the same path. Damian knew not to bother Bruce because he said he had work things. When Jareth said that he usually meant he was dealing with another kingdom or the chickens. Bad bad chickens…. Damian hoped that there weren't live chickens anywhere nearby. That may cause some troubles if they knew of Below and started attacking him for being the goblin prince.

Damian found that there was a pair of pajamas in his room. He wondered who had left them there. They looked weird. They had these weird symbols all over them. Were they someone's symbol up here? A group or city-state perhaps. Damian was careful to remember the above didn't have kingdoms. They had countries and city-states. Damian wriggled into the pajamas after undressing, glad that the fabric wasn't itchy. He would have to learn what types of Above fabric to avoid. Damian went over to his window and peered out of it. His mouth formed an O when he realized he could see the city from here. All the lights made the city sparkle. It was so pretty. He wanted to see it, but maybe not tonight. He didn't want Bruce to catch him and get mad. Than Sarah and Jareth would find out and he'd never get to come Above ever again until he was king. Or he'd get caught by Jareth and that was potentially worse if Jareth got mad.

He moved away from the window and grabbed his drawing pad and a pencil before going over and sitting on the soft bed. He started drawing the view of the Labyrinth and castle from the hill most runners started on. He enjoyed drawing and that view of the Labyrinth as his favorite. Thinking about home made him slightly homesick but he knew that he could go home whenever he wanted to as long as he had access to a mirror. Maybe he'd just write home tomorrow for the meantime. Damian chose to hum a tune as well while waiting for Bruce to come and check on him like he had said.

* * *

Bruce waited until Damian had gone upstairs before going over to the grandfather clock. He gently moved the hands to 10:48, remembering exactly why he had set the code to that time. It was a little hard to forget why when it had so much significance to a life changing event.. The clock moved to reveal a staircase leading to a cave and Bruce descended followed by Alfred.

"Sir, are you sure that it is wise to keep this, the batcave and Batman, a secret from Damian?" Alfred asked as they reached the bottom of the staircase and headed over to the batcomputer. Alfred had always mean the one most concerned for Bruce's boys. Dick, Jason, Tim, and now Damian. Alfred was sometimes even more concerned for them than Bruce was.

"For the time being, until I know that it is safe and he isn't a spy or anything like that, I'm keeping it a secret. And maybe I want a son that won't turn into Robin," Bruce stated. He took the needle from Alfred and put the sample in the bat computer for analysis. It was true that he wanted a son that he could be a normal father to. Not a son that knew what darkness the family was seemingly cursed with and not a son that went out nearly every night to fight crime as Robin, "There. In a few hours we'll know if he really is mine," Bruce went over to his batsuit to change. Even with the events that had happened and a current case he as still Batman and Batman still needed to go fight crime in Gotham.

Alfred sighed, "Very well sir, but perhaps you could take one night off from being the Batman," Alfred suggested, standing next to the batcomputer, "You did promise Damian you would check on him," Alfred pulled up the camera footage of Damian drawing in his room to further support his claim that Bruce should take a night off from crime fighting.

"Alright Alfred. You win. One night," Bruce said, watching Damian draw for a seemed to be very good at drawing from the way his pencil was moving. When Alfred turned off the footage stream Bruce headed back up the bat cave stairs to the manor. Bruce headed up to Damian's room and knocked before entering, "Hey Damian. Ready for bed?"

Damian looked up from his drawing then set his drawing pad and pencil on the small table next to the bed, "Yes father," He said, crawling under the covers. He glanced at the window for a moment and smiled faintly seeing a barn owl, undoubtedly his dad, watching. He silently said goodnight to the barn owl, hoping that Jareth would go back to the goblin kingdom soon before he got weak from being Above for too long. Damian knew that he was only able to stay above for so long unanchored by a wish or binding spell because he had Above blood parents, even if he was technically a fae now.

Bruce ruffled Damian's hair. He only knew how to be a father from the years with Dick, Jason, and Tim, but even then he was still learning. After all those three had been nothing alike. He hoped that Damian would be easy to handle like Tim, "Sleep well Damian," He said turning out the light as he left. He got a glimpse of what Damian had been drawing. He'd have to get a better look later because it looked a bit odd.

"Goodnight father," Damian buried under the covers. He waited for Bruce to leave. He didn't need to sleep tonight due to the fact that he was a fae and only needed to sleep every few days technically. Oberon knows how much trouble that had caused Sarah in the past. She did after all need to sleep every day to function properly. Damian was already getting bored so maybe the White Prince would make an appearance tonight. As long as Jareth went back to the goblin kingdom soon.

* * *

After coming back to the cave from putting Damian to bed, Bruce worked on a case file while waiting for the results to the DNA test. This particular case was frustrating him because it seemed that the child that had gone missing had just vanished without a trace. There was no evidence of the child leaving on their own, no evidence of someone kidnapping the child either. But there was always evidence to these kinds of things.. He'd crack the case. He just had to find the one missing link.

The bat computer made a ping noise when the test was finished. Bruce slide his chair over to the screen the results were up on and looked at them. Sure enough Damian was Bruce and Talia's but yet he wasn't. The data was there to prove that Damian was Bruce's but at the same time it was like Damian's entire DNA structure had been overwritten by something else. An anomaly. It was nothing that Bruce recognized right away from known DNA restructuring. But even then the DNA hadn't quite been restructured that way that anyone had the technology to do. It had been changed to the very atom in a way. But that meant that whatever it was could be identified. It would be like looking at the difference between Kryptonian DNA and human DNA. Which was exactly the kind of search Bruce was going to do.

"Batcomputer identify the anomaly. Check the Justice League database as well if you have to," Bruce said, "And any other database you have access to as well," He added. Bruce watched as the bat computer ran its search. He wasn't going anywhere until the results were finished. It was crucial that he figured out what this anomaly was. It could very well be the difference between trusting Damian and not trusting the kid. Bruce sat forward when the batcomputer finished and read the words that popped up as the results.

Anomaly: unknown


	5. Mystery of Magic

**I don't have anything to say in the way of authors notes today so onto reviews!**

 **Okami Princess: I didn't know Bruce had Scottish ancestory. Thank you for telling me. However, the most likely connection to fae Bruce would have would be a collection of books passed down generation to generation about Celtic stuff. In fact, out of Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Tim, given what we know about their families Dick is the one most likely to have any family connection to fae, specifically Sânziană, Romanian fairies. But, this did bring me to do some research on Celtic fairies and I finally figured out what Jareth may be exactly. So thank you. As for the Miagani, I knew about them. In fact, they came to be because of Bruce (see Return of Bruce Wayne).**

* * *

Bruce didn't get any sleep. He had spent the entire night tearing through all the files on the batcomputer and that were on the JL database trying to figure out what that anomaly was. It was frustrating him that there seemed to be absolutely nothing. If it was chemical exposure there would be chemical markers. If it had been done with technology there would be markers there as well. In fact, while looking Bruce had found markers that led him to believe Talia had been genetically altering Damian before he was even born which meant Talia must've grown Damian in an artificial womb or something of that nature. That also meant whatever this anomaly was wasn't Talia's doing. Bruce had ruled everything out except one thing. Magic.

Bruce had a thing against magic but once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Bruce sipped his coffee, sitting at the breakfast table, thinking everything over. He didn't want to except that magic was the most probable answer to where the anomaly came from. It did mean that it was something new that the JL had no record off. Then again Constantine knew about tons of magic and he didn't tell anyone about it. Not even Zatanna. But Bruce could still go to Zatanna for help since she was on good terms with the Justice League. Perhaps she would know what could've caused the anomaly. He'd contact her later.

Bruce looked up when Damian walked into the room, already dressed for the day. He raised an eyebrow and set his coffee on the table, "Good morning Damian," He wondered why Damian had come downstairs. Alfred wasn't finished making breakfast. He was surprised Damian had even known how to get from his room to here. Maybe Damian was smarter than he originally thought. Then again, Damian could be very smart and he wouldn't be able to tell because Damian always seemed to be confused about things.

"Good morning father," Damian answered, taking a seat. He had come downstairs when he had smelled something good. He had assumed it was food and had remembered exactly where to go from the night before, "Are we doing anything today?" He asked hopefully. He wanted to know what sort of fun things people did Above. He wondered if there was a Labyrinth Above that he could go through and if there was if it was as fun as the Labyrinth Below.

"I'm sorry Damian, I have some things I need to take care of and I don't know how long they'll take. Maybe tomorrow," Bruce said. When he said he had things he needed to take care of he meant finding then talking to Zatanna. He wanted to know if she knew what the anomaly was as soon as possible. It was very important after all.

"Oh, okay. Can I explore outside then?" Damian asked, watching as Alfred set a plate of fluffy things in front of him. He pouted slightly. He had really been hoping for breakfast cabbage or something familiar but at least these smiled good. He took a bite and hummed happily. These fluffy things were really good. That reassured Damian that not all Above food was nasty. Some of it was really good.

Bruce took note that Damian seemed to be enjoying his pancakes. Bruce took a sip of his coffee then answered Damian's question, "As long as you stay on the grounds I don't see why not," He knew that Damian wouldn't be able to leave the grounds anyways. There was a wall surrounding the grounds and manor. **(Depiction loosely based off of the Batman Vs Robin interpretation of the manor)**

Damian nodded and finished eating his fluffy things. He was excited to get to go outside and explore. It was better than being stuck to strictly exploring the manor, which would get boring very fast. As soon as he finished breakfast he got up and ran outside.

Alfred came over and collected Damian's dishes, "He has a lot of energy. He reminds of Master Dick. The two would be wonderful friends," Alfred commented before taking Bruce's empty coffee mug, "I assume you will not be coming home tonight."

"Not until very late. I'm going to ask Zatanna for some help," Bruce said, standing up then brushing off his suit. The suit was usually for show unless he was going in to Wayne Enterprises. In case someone stopped by and the likes.

Alfred nodded and watched as Bruce head down to the cave. The butler sighed then looked out a window to see Damian climbing a tree in the front. Alfred sincerely wished that Bruce would actually put aside this trust nonsense and just spend some time with his son.

* * *

Damian was enjoying running around outside. It wasn't a Labyrinth but there were lots of trees to climb and bushes to jump off of. Damian found a tree that was taller than the wall and quickly climbed up it to the very top. He looked out at the city with sparkling blue eyes. That was where he would go tonight. He could see the other side of the wall so teleporting would be no problem. Anticipation welled up inside Damian. He would see what Above was really like. He would experience the Gotham for himself. Not just imagine Dick's stories.

* * *

It had taken Bruce several hours to find where Zatanna currently was then another few hours to fly out there with the bat plane. Then he had to wait till after her show. It was dark by the time her show ended. He waited in her dressing room, in his batsuit.

Zatanna came into her dressing room and set her hat down on her mirror. She sighed, exhausted from the show. Then she frowned slightly sensing a presence in her room. She narrowed her room, words waiting on the tip of her tongue.

Batman stepped out of the shadows when he saw her tense up, "Zatanna," He said in a less growly Batman voice than what he usually used, "We need to talk," He was already ready to explain the situation to her but he waited to see how she would react to his presence first.

Zatanna's shoulders slumped a bit and she relaxed but she also seemed irritated. She turned around to face him and crossed her arms, "What do you need?" She asked. She didn't necessarily seem pleased to be talking to him but that didn't mean that she wouldn't hear him out at the very least.

"The other day a woman dropped off a boy at my place and said he was my son. I ran a DNA test to check, and sure enough he is my son, but at the same time it's like his DNA was overwritten entirely. No markers to indicate the only known ways of rewriting DNA. I believe it was magic. Which is something his mother isn't capable of. I wanted to know if you could identify it," Batman explained.

"You know I don't know how to read DNA strands. Do you have a picture of the boy that I could look at?" Zatanna inquired. She was only going to help him because it was dealing with magic and could be something potentially dangerous which meant she was one of the people that had to make sure something dangerous didn't happen.

Batman nodded and pulled out a picture of Damian he had captured from the security footage then printed out. He handed the picture to Zatanna, hoping that she would be able to figure it out from the picture. He had almost not brought a picture then had decided to bring a picture just in case. It was a good thing that he had decided that.

Zatanna looked at the picture, "His hair is blacker than what's humanly possible even with hair dye. His face structure is really slender but that could always by genetics from you or his mother," Zatanna glanced at Batman. She actually doubted it was Batman's or the boy's mother's genetics, "If you look closely you can also see a slight sparkle in his skin. It's possible that someone magical laid claim to him and made him part of their race or something like that but I have never seen anything like this, well unless you believe in fairies, elves, and goblins, better known as fae. But they're not real," Zatanna handed the picture back to Bruce, "I'm sorry I couldn't identify it but I can come keep an eye on him if you want me to."

"It is alright Zatanna. Thank you for your help," Batman put the picture away before disappearing into the shadows, leaving before Zatanna could say anything else. Which was probably a good thing because she could've brought things up leading to a conversation he didn't want to have, especially not right now.

* * *

Damian secured his sword around his waist then placed his mask on his face. Bruce had never come back from wherever he had left to and he hadn't seen his father in an hour which meant Jareth had gone back to the goblin kingdom. It had just gotten dark outside so this was the perfect opportunity to go out and visit Gotham. He was going out as White Prince because he didn't want Bruce to find out and get mad.

Damian closed his eyes and imagined a spot past the walls that wasn't too far of a distance away. When he opened his eyes he was standing in that spot and he grinned. That was one step to his journey. He continued to teleport short distances until he made it to the edge of Gotham.

Damian climbed on to a nearby rooftop and looked around at his surroundings. He was going to have fun. He started running then jumped and with a flip landed on the rooftop across from the one he had just been on. He smirked and continued his run across the rooftops.

Damian was enjoying himself when he heard shouting. He investigated and looked over the side of a rooftop down to an alley way. Some man was attacking a woman. Damian frowned. That scene couldn't be right. He jumped down, drawing his sword as he fell, and landed softly on his feet. He remembered everything his father and Sir Didymus had taught him about sword fighting and chose a stance, "I suggest you step away from that woman, sir."

The man looked at Damian and laughed, "You think you can stop me," The man was big and didn't think that someone as short, young, and thin as Damian could stop him. Just because Damian had a sword and a mask didn't mean he was a hero and he certainly wasn't Robin.

Damian moved swiftly. He was fast and nimble. He was also careful to not kill the man with his sword on accident. One good sweep at one of the man's legs sent the man toppling. Damian placed his foot on the man's chest and brought his sword to the man's neck, "Yield," He said in a regal tone.

"Okay! Okay! I yield!" The man shouted in a panicked tone. As soon as Damian moved his sword and foot the man was running down the alley, nearly tripping over his own feet. The man had nearly reached the entrance of the alley when someone swung from the light post and their feet connected with his face. He fell over, unconscious.

Nightwing had heard shouting and fighting and had come to investigate. He had knocked out the guy that must've been the perp but when he landed he was surprised to see a woman thanking a boy clad in a white uniform with a sword at his side. The boy looked at Nightwing, his eyes covered by a mask, and Nightwing realized who it was. It was the White Prince from the Labyrinth. The boy that had reminded him of Bruce. Nightwing walked over to Prince as the woman went on her way, "Hey. Aren't you a little young to be fighting crime?"

"I was exploring Gotham and I heard shouting. I investigated and a man was attacking that woman so I saved her," Damian answered honestly. After all, this man didn't know who he was so he didn't see any problem in telling the truth. At least most of the truth. He didn't need to tell this man everything after all. Actually, based off of the descriptions Dick had given him of the heroes in Gotham this must be Nightwing. Damian thought it was really cool that he got to meet Nightwing, "I'm the White Prince," He was careful as always.

"Well, White Prince is a bit of a mouthful so I'll call you Prince. I'm Nightwing by the way," Nightwing said with a smile. He extended his hand, being the polite person he always was. He was also trying to clue Prince in that they knew each other. Nightwing wanted an explanation as to what Prince was doing in Gotham, "Hey, do you mind if I join you? I can help you get around Gotham."

Damian shook Nightwing's hand. So he had been right, "You can join me," He answered. He did note that Nightwing nicknamed him Prince like Dick had. He didn't mind if Nightwing joined him in exploring Gotham. It would be useful to have someone who already knew Gotham really well helping him get around.

Nightwing smiled and jumped up to the rooftops. He was impressed when Prince copied him to jump up to the rooftops. If Prince was good at acrobats than this would be a fun little competition they would have while Nightwing showed him around Gotham. And Nightwing had every intention of making it something of a competition.

The two chased each other across the rooftops of Gotham city. Nightwing was careful to avoid the narrows and any areas that would require a grapple hook. Nightwing and Prince had a lot of fun though, showing off to each other what kind of acrobatics they could do. Nightwing was actually impressed by Prince's skill. He was either a natural or really well trained. After a few hours Nightwing decided it was time to send Prince back home, wherever that was.

Nightwing stopped on a rooftop and turned to Prince, "I don't think I've had that much fun in a long time, but I think it's time for you to get back home. The sun will be rising in an hour or so and you need sleep considering you're still a growing boy," Nightwing smiled brightly.

"Thank you for taking me around Gotham Nightwing. Maybe we can do it some other time," Damian said. He jumped off the edge of the rooftop and teleported away to the edge of the city before making his way back to Wayne manor in short teleportation jumps.

Nightwing was surprised when he looked over the edge that Prince had jumped off of and saw that the boy was gone. This was so weird. Just who exactly was the White Prince? Nightwing sighed. He'd have to figure it out later. For now he made his way back to where his motorcycle was hidden and hopped on. He drove back to the bat cave, Prince on his mind the entire time.


	6. Glitter

A week had passed since Sarah had left Damian at Wayne Manor. Most of the week hadn't been terribly busy. Bruce had spent what time he could going through the Manor library. He had to have something that would help him figure out what was going on with Damian. Alfred had tried to get Bruce to spend time with Damian but to no avail.

Damian was dealing with his own problems. Sure, he was going out as the White Prince and exploring Gotham with Nightwing at night. It was a lot of fun, but Damian knew Nightwing had started to notice what was going on with him. Damian did not want to have to try and explain. He liked Nightwing and didn't want to lose his only friend Above. But the problem was a little hard to avoid.

Damian was leaving glitter everywhere. It had started with small amounts whenever he teleported, but now he was leaving as much glitter when he teleported as Jareth did and he was leaving glitter wherever he went. Sneezing was causing glitter to fly up everywhere. So he had sort of locked himself in his room. He was having Hoggle bring him food from Below so he didn't have to leave the room to eat. But he was concerned that Jareth and Sarah would notice. Or worse, Bruce.

Damian had decided it was time to make his escape. He would leave out the front door then use a mirror to get back to Below that way he didn't just vanish without a trace. He grabbed his bag and snuck out of his room. He quickly headed downstairs, being as quiet as he could. He heard someone coming and flattened himself against the wall. He grabbed a nearby plant leaf and turned it into a crystal ball. He rolled it towards the sound of the person coming.

Tim had just gotten back to the Manor from spending a month with the Teen Titans. He was exhausted and wanted his bed. Tim looked down when a crystal ball rolled over to him and hit his foot, "What the…" He was cut off when the crystal ball exploded like a smoke bomb. Tim coughed and pulled out his bo staff, extending it. He saw a shadow moving through the smoke and attacked, swinging his bo staff at the shadow.

Damian had ran forward as soon as the crystal ball released the cover smoke. What he hadn't been expecting was for the person to pull out a staff and attack him. He bent back, dodging the staff and dropped his bag. He pulled out his katana and attacked his attacker.

Tim wasn't surprised when his attacker pulled out a katana. What he wasn't expecting was for them to be so short. But that didn't stop him from attacking and counter attacking. He was Robin after all. Some probably low level thief wasn't getting passed him.

The both fought for a good solid ten minutes. Both were surprised at the others skill but neither of them let up. The smoke had mostly cleared away. The didn't stop until someone lifted Damian up by his shirt collar and someone grabbed Tim's arms holding him back.

Dick had been coming up from the cave when he heard fighting. He grabbed Tim and held him back. Dick was surprised to see that the person Tim had been fighting was Prince. What was Prince doing here? He had a lot of questions but right now needed to focus on holding Tim back.

Bruce had been onto something in his search through the books in the library when he had heard fighting. He had rushed downstairs to find Damian and Tim fighting. What had caught him off guard slightly was Damian's skill at acrobatics and fighting with a katana, and who knows where that katana had come from. Bruce certainly didn't recognize it. Bruce grabbed Damian by the back of his shirt collar and lifted him up. The kid was surprisingly light. Bruce was glad Damian just hung there limp unlike Tim who was fighting to get free from Dick's grip, "What is going on?" Bruce demanded to know.

"Let me at that pipsqueak! He broke into our home and this is my fight!" Tim snapped, still fighting against Dick to break free. He didn't care who this kid was. The kid had picked a fight with him and he was determined to win this fight.

Damian glared at the person who had attacked him. All he had wanted to do was leave so he wasn't causing trouble because of his glitter problem but the person had gotten in his way and attacked him. He wanted to know just who this person thought they were. It also didn't help right now that his hair was covered in glitter. Oh and that man that was holding the person who had attacked him back, that was Dick Grayson, the runner he had helped recently. No doubt that Dick recognized him. This might be a problem, "I was trying to go outside and this person attacked me," Damian said coldly.

Bruce sighed, "Damian, this is Tim. Tim, this is Damian. Damian is my son," Bruce said calmly, "Now Damian, where did you learn to fight like that?" Bruce asked politely. It was important that he knew. It could give him a clue about Damian.

Tim glared at Damian. Just because the brat was Bruce's son didn't mean he had to like him. And yeah right, he was just trying to go outside. Why did he have a katana on him then? Tim didn't trust the brat. Not one bit. He didn't care if Bruce and Dick did. He didn't.

"My dad, the one that raised me, taught me. He always said that I was a natural anyways," Damian answered calmly. He knew Sarah had never said she had raised him alone so he deemed that it was okay to mention Jareth as long as it wasn't anything specific.

"Alright," Bruce wanted to know who was the man that had helped raise Damian but he wasn't going to push too many questions at this time. He set Damian down and Dick released Tim. "Come with me," Bruce said to Damian and walked to the grandfather clock, grabbing the book he had had, which he had set on a table near the stairs when he had come downstairs, on the way to the grandfather clock.

Damain followed Bruce, with his katana and bag in hand. He noticed that Tim and Dick were also following. This put him slightly on edge and he wondered what was going on. Whatever it was it must be very important if those two were following them.

Bruce set the clock to 10:48 and the stairs leading down to the bat cave were revealed. He headed down to the cave, making sure that Damian was following. Bruce didn't mind that Dick and Tim were following as well. He had decided that this was the right decision based off of Damian's training. Even if Damian's moral compass was slightly off Bruce could help set him on the right path, "Welcome to the bat cave," Bruce said.

Damian looked around. So this was the batcave he had heard about. With that in mind it wasn't hard to piece together that Bruce was Batman, Dick was Nightwing, and that meant Tim was Robin, "Impressive, smaller than I imagined though," He commented.

Tim walked past Damian and Bruce over to the training area, glaring the entire time. Why did Bruce have to reveal their secret to this brat. Training or no training, Tim didn't think Damian belonged. He was just some kid that was probably the accidental result of some one night stand.

"Damian, understand that this is a very big thing and it is important that you keep it a secret," Bruce gave the warning. He could tell that Damian had already pieced their identities together just from seeing the bat cave. The kid was smart, Bruce had to give him credit for that.

"I understand the importance of keeping this a secret," Damian said like it was obvious. Of course he knew the importance of secrets. He had to keep the fact that he was a fae and the son of the goblin king a secret. Which is why him getting glitter everywhere was a problem, "Does this mean I can join? Will I get to be Robin?" It was an innocent question by all means.

Tim tightened his grip on his bo staff and stopped running through the routine he had started. The nerves this brat had. Asking is got to be Robin. No way would he let that brat be Robin. He was Robin. It was his title. It was his to give up as well. Tim marched over to Damian, "You know what, I don't like you. I don't care who you are but this is my family. You don't just get to do and have whatever you want. Also, what's the deal with all the glitter?!" He snapped.

Damian took a step back. This was getting a bit out of hand, and really quickly. He couldn't very well answer Tim's question. That would mean revealing his secret and he couldn't do that, he wasn't allowed to. Jareth would ground him if he revealed the secret willingly. He could be forced to, wished to, it could happen on accident, or they could figure it out, but he couldn't tell them on purpose.

Tim knew his temper had gotten out of hand but he just wouldn't put up with Damian, at all. He was tired, and hungry, and he hurt. He didn't want to be anywhere near the brat. And he knew one way to take care of that, "I wish the goblin king would take you away!" He shouted.

"Tim wait!" Dick wasn't overly concerned since he knew Damian was most likely the goblin prince, given the fact that he had been sitting on a throne by the goblin king and his code name was White Prince. Dick just didn't want Timmy doing anything he would regret.

Bruce had been reading about the goblin king. It was the lead he had because there was a possibility the goblin king was a Tuatha De Danaan, a Celtic fair skinned god. Bruce had thought that Damian was possibly claimed by one of the Tuatha De Danaan but hadn't been able to finish his research due to the interruption. Now Tim was trying to wish away Damian to the goblin king, and Bruce had read that the goblin king turned wished away children and babies into goblins. Bruce couldn't let that happen, "Tim! Stop right now!"

Tim had been struggling to remember the last two words. It had been forever since he heard the story after all. But after what Bruce said he remembered. Tim glared, completely serious, "right now," His tone dropped and was harsh and cold.

Damian sighed and sat down at one of the chairs at the giant mirror like screens. He set his elbow on the table and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He didn't care that Tim had tried wishing him away. He was just concerned what would happen since his dad had just been summoned. Oh well, that's what happens when you wish for the goblin king.

A storm boiled up outside, not that any of them noticed, though Damian knew. It wasn't long before a barn owl flew into the cave, having managed to find it's way in. It flew around Damian like it was protecting him then flew over and whacked Tim in the face. The barn owl flew to a spot near Damian then transformed from a simple barn owl into the goblin king, Jareth. He seemed ticked off.

Damian leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. Jareth coming in upset was the exact thing he had been trying to avoid. He sighed. Too bad it had come to this. Oh well. He couldn't avoid this it seemed. He chose a neutral tone then spoke, "Hi dad."


	7. Parrian Strange

**Okami Princess: It's actually less of Tim being spoiled and more so that he's exhausted, hangry, and wants a proper cup of coffee. Leading the Teen Titans isn't easy. Then there's Damian who up till now we've only seen as curious and relatively innocent, but he isn't like that entirely. He's smart and knows how to act in certain situations. That doesn't mean he can't still be snarky sometimes like in the comics. Basically, Damian and Tim don't have compatible personalities and Tim being exhausted made it worse. But, you are technically right about one thing. Tim is going to have to give up the mantle.**

 **(cont.) Bruce and Jareth certainly won't see eye to eye about either of them keeping secrets. As for why Jareth and Sarah didn't take Damian to Bruce sooner, that is actually stated in chapter 2. Jareth says he didn't know about Bruce until recently; say a couple weeks before Dick ended up in the Labyrinth. And Sarah couldn't have known or found out without Jareth telling her as she is still mostly human, though immortal. Also, Jareth and Sarah don't actually know a lot about Talia other than she's a killer.**

 **Guest: Thank you for the suggestion. I like the general idea. While I didn't think that Loki was a good fit there is a Marvel magician that I find to be a much better fit. He'll show up soon.**

 **Note: I ask that guests please leave a nickname on their reviews as it makes it easier for me to respond to guest reviews if there's a nickname.**

 **Also, Tuddles is not a canon goblin. Just one I made up.**

* * *

"Damian Al Ghul, what is going on?" Jareth asked in his stern father voice. One second he was writing a letter to Sarah, who was going to come home early, and the next some teenager was trying to wish his son away. Yes, he knew that Damian being a fae had been kept a secret from Bruce, but how had the teenager, that Jareth had never seen before yet could tell was associated with Bruce, even known about the goblin kingdom, or at the very least what to say to wish someone away. Jareth was not happy at all.

Damian stood up and faced his dad, "I blame this whole problem on you," Damian stated and to prove his point he shook his hair. A bunch of glitter fell out of his hair. Even after that his hair was still practically coated with glitter. He glared, not happy with his current predicament, "I was trying to leave because of this predicament when that jerk," Damian gestured to Tim, "Got in my way, we had a fight, and then he snaps at me before trying to wish me away. Which of course wasn't going to work and I knew that the second he said I wish."

Tim went blank face. Normally he would be excited to meet an actual fae but he was exhausted and that brat had pushed all his buttons. Tim shuffled away in search of his bed, "I'm too tired to deal with this," He mumbled as he headed off to go to his room.

Bruce and Dick weren't sure what to think about the appearance of the goblin king or how to respond. This wasn't a normal situation they could just handle. Dick was tempted to go after Tim but felt that it would be better to stay here and perhaps mediate everything. Bruce was going to just watch for now but was ready to speak up.

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose, "Great, just great, your mother is going to kill both of us," Jareth sighed, "Tuddles, go get Sarah," Jareth knew he was going to need Sarah. He couldn't take care of this all on his own.

A goblin popped up out of nowhere and giggled as it scampered off, "Tuddles go get the queen!" Tuddles laughed. He went to get Sarah, happy to help King Jareth any time. He liked helping. And getting Queen Sarah was helpful right now.

Bruce decided now that he was going to start asking questions, "Alright, I want to know what's going on. Exactly what's going on. Because it looks to me like I was kept in the dark about something important," Bruce crossed his arms.

"Can you blame a father for wanting to protect his son," Jareth pulled out a mirror, "And if you're so dismayed over the fact that you weren't told about me, then what's all this?" Jareth gestured to the cave. He wasn't happy finding that Bruce apparently had a major secret of his own. How were they supposed to determine they could trust Bruce with knowledge that Damian is a fae and the goblin prince when it seemed that Bruce couldn't even trust Damian. Jareth held the mirror tightly as Sarah tumbled through.

Sarah stood up and brushed off her skirt, "Alright, who got their pants all twisted?" She placed her hands on her hips and looked around. Oh this couldn't be good. Jareth must've been wished here if he currently wasn't an owl and it looked like Bruce was Batman. And yes, she knew who Batman was. Batman had been around since before she had gone to live Below with Jareth and raise Damian.

Bruce glared at Jareth. He didn't like this goblin king. Was this seriously the person that had raised Damian. Though, from the brief encounters with Sarah that Bruce had had, she seemed like a completely competent mother and independent young woman, "For your information, this is a secret because it's important to the security of my family."

"A family that you don't seem willing to let Damian into despite the fact that he is your blood," Jareth countered, "I was the one that took Damian in and instead of turning him into a goblin, raised him as my own son," Jareth lifted his head defiantly.

"May I remind you that you were the ones that kept the goblin thing from me," Bruce said. He was completely confident that this man was the Goblin king and that he was likely the one that had claimed Damian. Bruce suspected that that made Damian the Goblin prince.

"Be quiet!" Sarah shouted. Jareth and Bruce stared at her silently. Sarah smirked, "Thank you," She went over to Damian, "Aww, are you having a glitter problem," She squished Damian's cheeks a little; "We're going to have to see what we can do about that," She was coddling Damian. He was her son after all and he was having a problem.

Damian let his mom coddle him. As long as it led to his glitter problem being solved, "Does this mean visiting Parrain Strange?" He asked. He liked Parrain Strange. Strange had even promised to teach him magic. Strange was better than Bruce too. At least in Damian's opinion.

* * *

 **Intermediate A/N: Parrain is French for godfather. Sarah taught Damian French so that's why he uses Parrain.**

* * *

"Maybe. I think it would actually be a good idea for him to come here. Then he can meet Bruce," Sarah smiled and looked over at Jareth, "Jareth, be a dear and go get Strange. I'll stay here with Damian and talk with Bruce," She said it sweetly, but Jareth knew that it was an order. He quickly went through a mirror to go get Strange. After Jareth left Sarah turned to Bruce, "I think now that the secrets are out of the way, we can talk things through and perhaps set up some sort of exchange so we all can spend time with Damian," She suggested.

Bruce nodded. Well he was right about his opinion on Sarah. He sat across from her as she sat down, "I suppose I will start. I am Batman as you may have figured out. My family, Dick and Tim, are Nightwing and Robin. Now that I know what Damian is, I want to get to know him better and allow him to be part of my family," Bruce said. He was a bit more comfortable with these things now that he knew more of the story.

Sarah hummed, not happy that Bruce had been concerned about what Damian was. Damian was a child. That was what he was, "I am Queen Sarah of the goblin kingdom. You've met my husband, the king of the goblin kingdom. I'm not allowed to tell you his name because after what I did years ago, he's very careful about the power of words. Damian is our adopted son, or more specifically Jareth's. Jareth claimed him and made him a fae, Prince Damian Al Ghul, of the goblin kingdom," Sarah did the normal introductions, "Now, as important as your secret is the power of words is also very important. Damian is a fae, meaning what is said to him might have an effect on him. His power could be weakened, he could be bound, he could be hurt," Sarah warned Bruce. She was protective of Damian. She was the mother that had raised him after all.

"Understood," Bruce responded. He would have to tell Dick and Tim about the power of words thing. It seemed Dick had left after Sarah had showed up. Bruce understood why Sarah was warning him about the power of words thing. It was potentially dangerous and Sarah wanted to protect Damian, who she had raised as her son.

"Good. Alright, now that that is taken care of, how about Jareth and I get Damian for two weeks, then Damian can visit you for two weeks," Sarah offered. She didn't want her son away for too long. She was always going to be protective of him.

"What about three weeks?" Bruce suggested. Bruce knew that the best way to bring Damian into the family would be to make him Robin, and three weeks at a time would work best with that for missions and injury recovery time.

"Alright," Sarah nodded. She could live with that. It wasn't terribly longer than two weeks. And she'd make sure Damian wrote plenty of letters and even visited once or twice through mirrors. It wasn't like Bruce could keep Damian from mirror traveling.

Bruce was comfortable with the final decision and Sarah was as well. Progress had been made. And just in time. A gold ring appeared and a strange man stepped through. Of course, Damian and Sarah knew exactly who it was.

"Parrain Strange!" Damian exclaimed, running over and giving his godfather a hug. He was happy to see his godfather. It had felt like far too long since he had lasted visited them. He wanted to know what kind of new things his godfather had seen. Parrian Strange always had the best stories.

Doctor Stephen Strange, was as his name suggested a strange man. With his moving clock of levitation and grey streak in his black hair, he fought the mystic wonders of the multiverse while still having time to help the Avengers and spend time with his godson. The story of how Doctor Strange had become Damian's godfather was an interesting one.

Doctor Strange had been fighting some awfully nasty fairies when he had been tossed into some kind of Labyrinth. He had simply used his clock to float above the Labyrinth walls before going to the castle. He had found not the fairies he had been fighting, but an odd fae that was the king of the goblins, his queen, and the year old adopted son. It seemed the Goblin king was also having troubles with the fairies. The two worked together and were able to defeat the fairies. Afterwards the Goblin king had told him his name was Jareth and had invited him to celebrate. He had joined them for the celebration and found there was a lot of singing and dancing involved. It was strange but actually fun. Strange had gotten to know the royal family more and they got to know him. Jareth was disappointed when Strange had said he had to go back to his world but was happy to learn Strange was capable of going between their world and his. That was when Jareth had decided to pronounce the magician Damian's godfather. From there Strange would visit from time to time and showed Damian magic tricks, even promising to teach the boy what he knew about magic.

Now, when Jareth had contacted him through the mirror verse, a domain they could both control, about a problem, Doctor Strange had come quickly but was surprised to find that they were not in the goblin kingdom but somewhere else entirely. Of course, he didn't have enough time to ask where they were when Damian ran over and hugged him. Strange hugged Damian back, and was effectively covered in glitter. Well, it wasn't hard to see what the problem was, "I see you have taken after your dad," He chuckled, looking down at Damian then up at the one person he didn't know in this room… cave, "And who are you?" He questioned.

"Bruce Wayne, Damian's blood father," Bruce introduced himself to the man that had appeared. It was interested to get to know Damian's godfather. And yes, Bruce knew the man was Damian's godfather. Bruce did know French after all.

"Doctor Stephen Strange, the sorcerer supreme of a different universe. I'm Damian's godfather" Doctor Strange answered. So this was Damian's blood father. He had heard that Damian's mother was a killer, but this man was something else entirely. He was more like Tony, if Tony had been in a war. Doctor Strange focused his attention back to Damian, "I think I can fix your glitter problem," He tapped into the mystic forces and waved his hand in an arc above Damian's head, with a gold trail of light following his hand. There was a gust and the glitter blew out of Damian's hair. And no more appeared, "There, now the glitter should only appear when you teleport, just like your dad."

Bruce had to stop and think about what Doctor Strange had just said. Ignoring the glitter thing, did Strange just say Damian could teleport? What else could Damian do? "Did you say teleport?" He asked, just to clarify. He wanted to make sure he got the facts right.

"Thank you Parrain Strange," Damian said, glad that the glitter problem was now taken care off. He looked over at Bruce, "Yes, I can teleport short distances. I also have mirror magic," Damian grinned, "But what I can't wait to learn is magic from Parrain Strange," Damian had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Doctor Strange chuckled, "In time Damian. Once Sarah, your dad, and Bruce give me permission to," Strange said, ruffling Damian's hair. Strange had a feeling that Damian could potentially be very powerful due to his fae side. That's why he wanted to get permission from everyone parenting Damian before teaching him magic.

Bruce rubbed his forehead. This was a whole new territory. He would have to take it one step at a time. He'd raised an acrobat, a street kid, and a genius. But helping raise a fae with magical abilities was a completely different story. Then there was the fact that Damian's grandfather was a sorcerer. This was going to be a long day. And this was just the start.


End file.
